Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) Serbia: Population movement

Transcription

1 Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) Serbia: Population movement DREF Operation MDRRS011 Glide n OT SRB Date of issue: 18 August 2015 Expected timeframe: 17 August 17 November 2015 (three months) DREF allocated: CHF 318,035 Total number of people affected: 90,000 (approximate figure, based on recent statistics) Number of people to be assisted: 67,500 people; 63,000 adults plus 4,500 infants & children (based on statistics of the average daily arrivals) Host National Society presence: 44 staff and 148 volunteers from 7 branches of the Red Cross of Serbia along with the staff of Headquarters and the Vojvodina Province Organization Other partner organizations actively involved in the operation: Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia; Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Policy, local Centres for Social Work; Ministry of Interior: Border Police Directorate and Asylum Office; Ministry of Health; and the Network of Public Health Institutes, UNHCR and ICRC, local and international NGOs A. Situation analysis Description of the disaster Serbia has been witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers for the last couple of months. The majority of the migrants arriving to Serbia are in transit to reach other destinations in western and northern Europe. The sudden increase in the number of migrants crossing from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria to Serbia started at the end of June, and in July it reached 600 to 1,000 new entries a day. The Ministry of Interior has registered 66,000 asylum seekers since the beginning of the year. The total number of migrants who cross the border is estimated to be even higher. The Government of Serbia immediately responded with the opening of a processing centre in Presevo. New mobile reception centres have also been opened in Zajecar, Negotin and Pirot. The Red Cross of Red Cross water distribution in Presevo reception centre. Photo: Red Cross of Serbia Serbia Headquarters and the RC branch of Presevo have been engaged from the very beginning. The high number of migrants and the increasing need for humanitarian assistance have challenged the sustainability of the ongoing Red Cross operations, and therefore additional DREF assistance would be required. The municipalities of Kanjiza and Subotica in Vojvodina province in the northern part of Serbia are especially exposed to the challenges, and they represent a bottle-neck on the migrants` transit route to leave Serbia. Vojvodina province is a region with points of gathering for those migrants who get returned from the Hungarian border and they take some rest before attempting to cross the border again. Many migrants who are transiting (including families with small children) are sleeping rough in parks and public places or unoccupied industrial buildings.

2 The below table shows the composition of the humanitarian assistance distributed by the Subotica RC Branch. Table 1 - Humanitarian assistance distributed from 13 July until 7 August 2015 P a g e 2 Data from Subotica Red Cross branch RC Subotica human resource engaged Period Month Migrants assisted total Lunch parcel Bread Hygiene parcel RC staff associate Hours 1. July 2,678 1, August Total 3,308 1, Vehicles Once the migrants enter the territory of Serbia, they usually contact one of the registration centres. There are different types of centres formed recently such as: A processing centre (only one in Presevo for the time being) where the registration process takes place and the migrants are given registration papers. There they can stay and rest for a while inside the facility or they can move onward. Some beds, toilets and shower facilities are available within the centre, and the RC of Serbia has organised the distribution of essential food and hygiene items to the most vulnerable migrants. A mobile registration centre is in place where the migrants are registered, but no accommodation and sanitation capacities are provided for the time being. The Government of Serbia is in the process of setting up those capacities in a couple of border cities (Zajecar, Dimitrovgrad, Negotin, Pirot). After the registration, which usually lasts for 12 to 24 hours, migrants are provided with some basic food and water by the authorities and can also rest for a few hours. Upon their release they are provided with a certificate showing the address of the processing centre. Migrants who intend to seek asylum have 72 hours to come to one of the asylum centres in Banja Koviljaca, Bogovadja, Sjenica, Krnjaca for Belgrade, and Tutin, which are currently hosting 382 refugees and migrants. Medical care is provided in all asylum centres. Summary of the current response Overview of Host National Society The Red Cross of Serbia has great experience in mobilizing volunteers in disasters and emergencies for assisting people in need, implementing relief distributions, organizing basic disaster response and first aid. Each Red Cross branch has a disaster response team with a wide range of activities. The National Society is maintaining a solid disaster response stock which enables its Disaster Management (DM) department to intervene during the first hours of any disaster. The Red Cross has managed and organized humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants between 1992 and 1999, during the Balkan wars, where more than 1 million refugees were assisted by the RCS. Based on needs assessment, the Red Cross of Serbia started the provision of help to migrants on 10 June It has been able, through internal resource mobilisation, to provide assistance to the Presevo processing centre and the Subotica centre on a regular basis while other RC branches such as Zajecar, Negotin, Bujanovac, Belgrade, Pirot, Kanjiza are responding to ad hoc requests from the local authorities. Red Cross response at the processing centre in Presevo In July 2015, the Red Cross of Serbia started giving support to the processing centre mostly through a UNHCR-funded distribution of food and non-food items. The RC has set up 9 tents totalling 375 square meters, provided 3 water tanks of 1,500 litres each, and 70 plastic buckets. In addition, protective equipment for volunteers and staff of the processing centre has been provided. The UNHCR-funded RC project aims to assist especially vulnerable individuals (EVI) 1 that are, or may be, coming to Serbia in the period between June and December The RC of Serbia is also providing restoring family links (RFL) activities. Since the beginning of the year, 29 tracing requests have been received. Red Cross food distribution in Presevo. Photo: Red Cross of Serbia 1 EVI Especially vulnerable individuals are women and children or single male parents with one or more children in need of food and non-food items.

3 P a g e 3 Overview of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in country The Red Cross of Serbia is in permanent contact with the IFRC Europe Zone Office (EZO team) in Budapest, receiving from them support and additional expertise. The Tracing Service of the Red Cross is working closely with the ICRC Delegation and the ICRC coordinator in Belgrade for RFL issues and forensic services, and the restoring family links (RFL) component of this operation was planned in coordination with the ICRC Belgrade Office. Overview of non-rcrc actors in country At the level of the Government of Serbia, a political inter-ministerial working group on migrants has been established to deal with migration issues, led by the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Policy. A number of governmental and non-governmental actors are providing services and assistance to migrants and asylum seekers in Serbia. Distribution of food at the Presevo processing centre Photo: Red Cross of Serbia Ministry of Interior - The border police is responsible for ensuring the registration of migrants that cross the border legally. The border police is also responsible for the monitoring of the roads, the prevention of organised crime activities, including migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings and the prevention of illegal entry and transiting. Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, supported by UNHCR, manages the reception centre which provides temporary shelter to the irregular migrants and is also in charge of accommodation and care for asylum seekers till their applications are decided. Local authorities are creating local councils for migration as a body which will locally accomplish migration policies in accordance with the Law on Migration Management. Local councils for migration are composed of representatives of various institutions: police administration, employment service, school administration, health centre, centre for social work, Red Cross and civil society organizations. 2 Below is the overview of the most active international and local NGOs in the current response to the population movement crisis in Serbia. IOCC International Orthodox Christian Charities, with focus on Preševo, Bujanovac, Zaječar, Sjenica and Tutin (capacity building, shelter/care bedding and blankets); their humanitarian assistance is distributed in partnership with the Red Cross of Serbia. Philantrophy (Čovekoljublje) with RCS and Caritas 2 containers with showers and toilets provided in Preševo; around 450 tons of food for the eastern region of Serbia (Zaječar). Adventist Development and Relief Organisation (ADRA) 2,000 lunch parcels for the eastern region of Serbia and an info centre in Belgrade. 2

4 UNICEF with a project Children s Corner and support to children s needs in cooperation with RCS. P a g e 4 CRS Catholic Relief Services with a container for the shelter for 18 persons, toilets and shower in Kanjiža; together with Caritas they will provide 2,000 lunch and hygiene parcels, medical staff and legal counsellors/lawyers in Kanjiža. Samaritans Workers Association a sanitary container in Subotica. UNHCR equipment for the one stop shelter centre in Preševo and together with the RCS they are providing food and hygiene items for 400 migrants on a daily basis in Preševo. Needs analysis, beneficiary selection, risk assessment Before submitting this DREF request, the RC of Serbia had explored potential partnerships with UNHCR and other international and national organizations. The DREF allocation will provide much needed support as a surge capacity to the efforts by the Government of Serbia and it will help build sustainable relations with stakeholders and partners. This DREF request is based on data of the current daily influx which stands close to 2,000 migrants per day at the moment, and the Red Cross estimates that an average of 1,150 migrants will be in need of urgent food and non-food items in the next three months. The DREF allocation would be used to cover the needs of migrants at the places of registration with daily rations for up to 700 adult migrants and 50 babies per day for the next 90 days. The health conditions of the migrants are seriously challenged with the long and exhausting walk under sunny weather conditions and the lack of regular food and water intake. Some highly vulnerable migrants including families with babies, will receive a one-off distribution of food and non-food (hygiene) items at the migrant reception centres across Serbia before they move on to some of the asylum centres or decide to leave Serbia. The hygienic conditions at the processing centre in Presevo and other mobile registration centres are difficult to manage, and that can result in the spread of different diseases. Providing hygiene kits is thus an urgent need in order to ensure basic health and hygiene status and prevent infectious diseases. Special attention needs to be given to women including those pregnant or lactating, as well as new-borns and children due to their relatively weaker physical condition to resist diseases. Beneficiary selection Within this operation, the Red Cross of Serbia is targeting the improvement of the well-being of migrants temporarily accommodated at the processing centre in Presevo. Two municipalities, Subotica and Kanjiza, will also target migrants and refugees who are temporally residing in public places (parks) or are occupying abandoned buildings, former factories (like the brickyard in Subotica). The general activities including information and RFL services are targeting all the migrants in the different facilities with an estimated number of 1,000 persons per day. For more specialized support, the Red Cross will target two highly vulnerable groups: women and children. An estimated group of 4,500 babies will be assisted with baby parcels, while basic hygiene kits will be provided to 63,000 adults in need during a period of three months. Risk assessment The below factors are considered to be the major risk factors for the National Society. Psychological stress of NS staff / volunteers; Unclear situation without a certain end date; Long term commitment is not easy for some volunteers for personal reasons; Heavy workload of NS staff / volunteers; Decreasing stocks and resources; Stigma against the migrants/asylum seekers and the people who try to help them. The reach of NS helpers to the most vulnerable groups (children and women) could be limited because of cultural and language barriers (e.g. hampered interaction with male volunteers). Cultural awareness and safety-security are addressed in the operation by providing relevant trainings and briefings to all RC of Serbia staff in addition to a basic communication tool in several languages. Sustainability of the operation The Red Cross of Serbia is working in close cooperation with the the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Policy, which is actually in charge of the coordination of overall response to the migrant crisis. The in-country collection and distribution of in-kind donations and service delivery by the branches will be continued in the future, and the RC of Serbia will be actively engaged in the provision of additional assistance.

5 P a g e 5 As the migration crisis in Serbia and the whole region is predicted to last beyond the timeframe of this DREF operation, the RCS is not relying only on DREF funds but is seeking assistance from other sources as well, through DG ECHO, UNHCR and other in-country international and national organisations, and the launch of an emergency appeal (EA) might be considered if the situation worsened over the winter. The National Society is disseminating information of the current humanitarian challenges among all stakeholders including DG ECHO and other interested donors and organizations. B. Operational strategy and plan Overall objective Support the nutrition and hygiene needs of 67,500 individuals (63,000 adult migrants plus 4,500 babies) at the processing and mobile centres in Presevo, Zajecar, Negotin, Dimitrovgrad, Bujanovac and two municipalities in Vojvodina, Kanjiza and Subotica, with a special focus on the hygienic needs for women and infants in addition to restoring family links (RFL) services. Proposed strategy Improve access to sanitation with hygiene kits and hygiene promotion for men, women and children, taking into consideration the size of the family. The planned activities are as follows. Distribution of hygiene kits for males, females, children and infants transiting and sheltered at the reception centres and mobile reception centres Individual hygiene kits for males, females and children 63,000 hygiene kits: shower gel 20 ml hand wash, disinfectant gel 50 ml tooth brush and tooth paste 1 pcs cleaning (wet) tissue 15/1 sanitary pads (as needed) plasters 10/1 Volunteers / staff will also carry out hygiene promotion activities among the beneficiaries regularly in order to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases. Provision of food portions to the extremely vulnerable migrants (in average 700 persons and 50 babies daily) sheltered in the reception centres and mobile reception centres. Distribution of daily lunch parcels at the mobile reception centres by Red Cross staff and volunteers. Lunch parcels (individual supplementary food ration) 63,000 lunch parcels for adults: Beef canned 150 gr Fish canned 125 gr Bread (toast) 300 gr 4,500 baby parcels: Baby fruit porridge 120 gr Porridge for babies-chicken&vegetable128 gr High protein biscuits 120 gr Cleaning tissue 40/1 for sensitive skin Diapers (6/1)

6 P a g e 6 Tracing Service/Restoring Family Links (RFL) Migrants are helped with establishing contacts with their families through the Red Cross; Distribution of posters and leaflets in reception centres and in the vicinity of the transit roads; Deployment of six mobile Wi-Fi communication sets and seven battery charging units for recharging mobile phones. Trained personnel for restoring family links from the local Red Cross branches are involved in this activity. With the mobile Wi-Fi communication sets and chargers, the migrants will be able to recharge their mobile devices and to use the services of the free Wi-Fi. Operational support services Human resources The total number of staff and volunteers expected to implement this operation is 192. This operation will be implemented by seven RC branches including the RC organization in Vojvodina province. As the local capacities of the implementing branches are limited, the Red Cross of Serbia will mobilize its volunteers and staff from the NS HQ including the mobilization of the Red Cross national disaster response teams where needed. Within this operation, the Red Cross of Serbia is providing insurance coverage for its volunteers under the IFRC Volunteer Insurance Scheme. For the success of this operation, the Red Cross of Serbia will employ five newly recruited staff (NSQ temporary staff), out of which one will be coordinating the RC branch response in Vojvodina province. Logistics and supply chain All the items will be procured locally in accordance with the National Society`s administrative procedures. The purchase of fuel for transport and distribution of humanitarian assistance is included in the DREF budget. Communications The Red Cross of Serbia will post weekly updates on its Facebook page about the activities carried out in this operation. The reports will be uploaded to the organisation s webpage. Security As there are cultural differences and elements of frustration inside the target groups, some tensions could arise, and there is a slight chance of violent incidents. The Red Cross will provide security and cultural awareness briefing for the volunteers and staff involved. The hygiene and health related challenges have increased safety concerns (higher risk of infectious diseases). To reduce the vulnerability of the volunteers and staff working in the reception centres, the Red Cross of Serbia provides safety briefings, personal protective equipment, and sanitizers for its 192 staff and volunteers. A protective outfit will have the following items. Protective clothes (RC vests, trousers, T-shirts) Bactericidal wet wipes Protective gloves Protective masks (disposable) Antiseptic hand gel 50 ml Planning, monitoring, evaluation, & reporting (PMER) The planning process is based on the activities carried out by RCS staff and volunteers in the immigration centres. During this DREF operation the teams working at the immigration centres will provide standardised reports at the end of every shift. The management of Red Cross of Serbia will monitor the activities by using those standardised reports and by personal visits and telephone discussions with the volunteers and staff working in the area. It is difficult to forecast the flow of migrants even for a short time. The migration routes might change in the near future, and thus further mobile reception centres might be opened. It might be required to review the planned activities and the level of engagement especially if a dramatic increase in the number of mobile reception centres and consequently a greater need for the organization and distribution of humanitarian assistance would ensue.

7 P a g e 7 This operation is expected to be implemented over three months, and will therefore be completed by 17 November 2015; a final report will be made available three months after the end of the operation, by 17 February Administration and Finance National Society and IFRC Secretariat operational administrative support and office costs are included in the operational budget. Budget Click here to see the budget of the DREF operation. Contact information For further information specifically related to this operation please contact: Red Cross of Serbia: Vesna Milenovic, Secretary General; phone: ; secretary@redcross.org.rs IFRC Secretariat Europe Zone Office: Mette Petersen, Head of Country Cluster, phone: ; mette.petersen@ifrc.org Alberto Monguzzi, Disaster Management Coordinator; phone: ; alberto.monguzzi@ifrc.org IFRC Secretariat Geneva: Christine South, Operations Support, phone: , christine.south@ifrc.org

8 C. DETAILED OPERATIONAL PLAN Quality programming / Areas common to all sectors Outcome 1: The quality of this operation is ensured and continuous improvement is provided. Output 1.1 The Red Cross of Serbia is monitoring the situation and mobilizes its assets based on current needs. Activities planned Week Negotiations and coordination with partner organisations On-site assessment and monitoring Mobilisation and coordination of volunteers and staff involved Publishing weekly reports on the provided assistance Food security, nutrition and livelihoods Outcome 1: Emergency food needs of the 63,000 affected adults and 4,500 babies are meet Output 1.1: 63,000 lunch parcels for adults and 4,500 baby parcels are distributed Activities planned Week Procurement and packing of lunch parcels Development of the distribution reports Distribution of lunch parcels Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion Outcome 1: Reduction of the risks of sanitation related diseases for 63,000 people and 4,500 babies Output 1.1: 63,000 hygiene kits for adults and 4,500 baby parcels are distributed Activities planned Week Procurement of Basic Hygiene Kits and baby parcels Distribution of Basic Hygiene Kits and baby parcels Restoring family links (RFL) Outcome 1: Assisted people will have knowledge about the RFL activities Output 1.1: Providing information and RFL services for the migrants in Reception Centres Activities planned Week Printing of RFL leaflets in different languages Distribution of 50,000 RFL leaflets at the reception centres Providing verbal information on RFL in reception centres to migrants

9 DREF OPERATION 17/08/2015 Serbia DREF August 2015 Budget Group DREF Grant Budget CHF Shelter - Relief Shelter - Transitional Construction - Housing Construction - Facilities Construction - Materials Clothing & Textiles 19,703 Food 89,865 Seeds & Plants Water, Sanitation & Hygiene 140,905 Medical & First Aid Teaching Materials Utensils & Tools Other Supplies & Services Cash Disbursements Total RELIEF ITEMS, CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPLIES 250,473 Land & Buildings Vehicles Computer & Telecom Equipment Office/Household Furniture & Equipment Medical Equipment Other Machinery & Equipment Total LAND, VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT 0 Storage, Warehousing Distribution & Monitoring 6,240 Transport & Vehicle Costs 13,353 Logistics Services Total LOGISTICS, TRANSPORT AND STORAGE 19,593 International Staff National Staff 9,166 National Society Staff Volunteers 4,920 Total PERSONNEL 14,086 Consultants Professional Fees Total CONSULTANTS & PROFESSIONAL FEES 0 Workshops & Training Total WORKSHOP & TRAINING 0 Travel 1,500 Information & Public Relations 3,078 Office Costs 1,910 Communications 7,984 Financial Charges Other General Expenses Shared Office and Services Costs Total GENERAL EXPENDITURES 14,472 Partner National Societies Other Partners (NGOs, UN, other) Total TRANSFER TO PARTNERS 0 Programme and Supplementary Services Recovery 19,411 Total INDIRECT COSTS 19,411 TOTAL BUDGET 318,035 DREF OPERATION BUDGET V

10 MDRRS011 OT SRB 14 August 2015 Serbia: Population movements Hungary Subotica Kanjiza Romania Croatia Belgrade!\ Croatia Croatia Bosnia & Herzegovina Sarajevo!\ Montenegro Croatia km Podgorica!\ Lake Scutari Albania Lake Scutari Serbia Presevo Zajecar Macedonia!\ Negotin Pirot Sofia Bulgaria!\ The maps used do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the International Federation of Red C ross and Red C rescent Soc ieties or National Societies concerning the legal s tatus of a territory or of its authorities. Map data sources: ESRI, DEVINFO, International Federation, MDRRS011.mxd - Map created by DCM/GVA Skopje!I Registration center Mobile reception centers Temporary camps!\ Capitals Railroad Main roads International boundaries